Lansing Mall

Another expansion to the mall was announced in 1986 and completed a year later, consisting of a new wing anchored by a Mervyn's department store. The opening of this store was part of that chain's entry into the Michigan market, which comprised several other stores across the state including a second Lansing area store at Meridian Mall.[14] Construction of this wing required the demolition of an original outparcel, the Lansing Mall Theater, which was the last single-screen cinema in the Lansing area.[15] Lansing Mall's expansion, extending northerly from the Picnic, consisted of fifteen new storefronts including Lerner New York (now known as New York & Company) and LeRoy's Jewelers, along with relocations of Waldenbooks and three other existing tenants. In addition, Taco Bell joined the food court.[16]

Many store closings ensued at the mall in the early 1990s, including five chain clothing stores and a T.J. Cinnamons bakery all in late 1991 and early 1992. Despite these closures, the mall also gained Champs Sports and a dollar store, and its occupancy level of 92 percent was higher than the average occupancy rate of 85 percent for malls in the Midwestern United States at the time.[17] Limited Brands (now L Brands) opened three stores then under its ownership in 1993: a combination Limited Express/Structure store (now known as Express and Express Men, respectively) and Victoria's Secret.[18] The combined Limited Express/Structure took the place of Herman's World of Sporting Goods, which had closed earlier in the year. According to the mall's then-general manager, Limited Brands had wanted to open all three brands at the mall for several years, and that all three were highly demanded by shoppers due to their presence at Meridian Mall. Following these additions, Lansing and Meridian malls had nearly 60 stores in common with each other and nearly 40 others that were unique to each.[18] In 1995, the mall received new planters and an enlarged customer service booth. Meanwhile, RadioShack and Regis Hairstylists moved to new storefronts, Lane Bryant expanded its existing store, and Buckle, Bombay Company, and Pacific Sunwear joined.[19][20] These were followed in 1996 by Gymboree, Bath & Body Works, and the second Disney Store in the state of Michigan.[21]

In 1996, Forbes-Cohen sold the mall to General Growth Properties, who immediately began a $24 million renovation. As part of this renovation, the mall concourses were given new tiles, skylights, and seating areas, while the exterior was given new lighting and signage. Also, the food court's seating area was doubled in size and the mall restrooms were renovated.[22] Following the closure of Montgomery Ward in May 1999,[23] many renovations focused on the eastern wing of the mall. Old Navy opened in July 2000, displacing seven smaller storefronts in that wing. One of these stores, Men's Wearhouse, moved to a new storefront with exterior access.[24] Barnes & Noble opened two months later, displacing seven more storefronts in that wing and resulting in the closure of B. Dalton, which was owned by the same company at the time.[25] Two new restaurants also joined at this point: Panera Bread and Genghis Grill, whose location was both their first in Michigan and their first to be located in a mall.[22][26] The former Montgomery Ward building was tenanted by Younkers in 2002, although the store's construction was delayed. Saks, Inc., then-owners of the Younkers chain, had bought the Montgomery Ward building in 1997 and had intended to convert it at this point, but lacked the finances to construct the store at the time. As a result, General Growth purchased the building back and, once Montgomery Ward closed, leased the space to Younkers.[27] The former Montgomery Ward automotive repair center, located just east of the store, was demolished and replaced with a Best Buy, which opened in 2002 as well.[28] Two years after this expansion was completed, Dunham's Sports took further space in the Younkers wing.[29]

Lansing Mall entrance from south side

More anchor store changes ensued in 2006: Mervyn's closed in January of that year,[30] and became Steve & Barry's that November.[31] TJ Maxx moved into the mall in March 2006, replacing an older store across the street. The opening of TJ Maxx replaced several storefronts, including three stores that closed entirely (The Gap, Buckle, and Bombay Company), along with two others (FYE and Foot Locker) which were relocated elsewhere in the mall.[32] Both Steve & Barry's and Old Navy closed at the mall in 2009.[33][34]

Lansing Mall main entrance from south side

General Growth spun off management of 30 mall properties, including Lansing Mall, into a new division called Rouse Properties in 2011.[lower-alpha 1][35] In January 2013, Regal Entertainment Group announced that it would build a 50,000-square-foot (4,645 m²) 12-screen cinema on the site of the vacated Mervyn's/Steve & Barry's anchor.[36] The new theater opened in July 2014.[37] Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill began to build a bar in several storefronts adjacent to the theater in 2013, but construction was halted due to several contractors filing liens against the owners of the chain for not "reimbursing them in a timely and complete manner". As a result, the chain was evicted from the still-unfinished property, and Rouse Corporation won a $6.2 million lawsuit against its owners. A local bar known as Tequila Cowboy ultimately took over the space, and opened there in December 2015.[38]

Macy's announced in January 2017 that its store at Lansing Mall would close that year, along with three others in Michigan.[39] Another anchor vacated in 2018 when The Bon-Ton, which took ownership of the Younkers chain in 2006, filed for bankruptcy and underwent liquidation at all stores.[40] The closure of these anchor stores has coincided with the closure of several other inline tenants throughout. A mid-2018 article in the Lansing State Journal noted that the mall had over 15 vacancies, and several other storefronts that had been repurposed as store displays.[41] Closures at this point included Vitamin World,[42] rue21,[43] and Finish Line, the latter of which was repurposed as a storefront church.[41] In addition, Tequila Cowboy closed in March 2019.[44]Later that year, it was replaced by a new completely renovated live music venue called Overdrive.[45] However, Overdrive closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[46] Also in 2019, a further sign of the mall's decline emerged when tenants Panera Bread and Chipotle announced plans to vacate the mall and reopen nearby. Panera has since relocated to a freestanding building adjacent to the parking lot,[47] while Chipotle is in talks to move to the shopping plaza across the street.[48] In November 2019, Houlihan's, a restaurant which had been at the mall for nearly 40 years, abruptly closed, announcing on their Facebook page that high rent was a determining factor. Moving trucks were present at the restaurant the next day, gathering items.[49] In October 2020, Brookfield Properties put the mall up for sale.[50]